Radiant heat superheater



Oct. 18, 1932. H. J. KERR.

RADIANT HEAT SUPERHEATER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5. 1928 INVEN OR BY v-M ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 18, 1932. H. J. KERR 1,883,300

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Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD J. KERR, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 'OF NEW JERSEY RADIANT HEAT SUI-"ERHEATER Application filed December 5, 1928. Serial No. 323,892.

of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the tubes forming part of the superheater.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

I have shown the invention as embodied in a boiler having water tubes 1 of-any usual form and arrangement, these tubes being shown as disposed above a combustion chamber 2 of a furnace having a chain-grate stoker 3. The radiant heat of the combustion chamber is used to heat steam in a radiant heat superheater comprising two rows of tubes 4 and 5, the tubes 4 being disposed inwardly from the tubes 5. By the terms inwardly and outwardly, I refer to. the relative positions of elements With respect to the combustion chamber.

The superheater also includes a header 6 which is common to the tubes inboth rows, and it also includes an inlet header 7 and an outlet header 8. The inlet header is connect ed by a pipe 9 to the usual steam space of the boiler, not shown. The outlet header 8 is connected in the usual manner to the main steam line. I

The tubes 4 are preferably spaced apart, as shown, so as to permit some of the radiant heat to pass therebetween to the tubes 5. At the same time the tubes 4 act as a shield for the tubes 5, thus protecting them against the intense heat of the combustion chamber. The tubes 4 are preferably provided with a protective coating, the tubes themselves being metallic and the covering 10 bein,. of relatively refractory material, by which term I mean a material which 1s relatively nonconductive of heat as compared with metal. Suitable projections 11 on the tubes serve to hold the covering in place.

The outer tubes 5 may be of the rectangular form shown, thus presenting fiat faces to the combustion chamber, and when the tubes are placed in a row, these fiat faces will consequently present a substantially continuous metallic surface to the heat reaching them. It is of course understood that the tubes 5 are preferably made of the usual metallic form. The space between the tubes 5 may be sealed with refractory material, as shown in the drawings, or the tubes may be made to come close enough together to make it unnecessary to use any material between them. Operating conditions will govern the character of the material used in the spacers.

The tubes 5 are preferably supported in such a manner as to permit expansion and contraction both lengthwise and transversely. To accomplish this purpose I have shown them supported by a device which is more fully described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 371,910. This device comprises a plurality of lates 13, each of which has a plurality of tu es 5 welded thereto, as indicated at 14 in Fig. 3. Each of these plates is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 15 in which is received a bolt 16 passing through a supporting beam 17. This beam at its ends is provided with holes through which pass bolts 18 which are received in spaced ears 19 secured in the walls 20 of the furnace. At one end of the beam the ears 19 are provided with slots 21 whereby the entire beam may be moved transversely of the length of the tubes to permit expansion in this direction. The bolts 18 loosely engage the beam 17, whereby longitudinal movement of the tubes is permitted.

In operation, steam is preferably lntroduced into the superheater in the manner I claim 2- 1. In a radiant heat superheater, two rows of tubes, one disposed inwardly from the other, the tubes of the outward row having their inner faces substantially flat and forming a substantially continuous surface across the row, and the tubes of the inner row being spaced apart to permit passage of radiant heat to said flat faces of-the outer row, and means causing steam to flow through first one row and then the other.

2. In a radiant heat superheater, a furnace, two rows of tubes extendin along one side of the path of the general gas ow in the furnace, one disposed inwardly from the other, the tubes of the outer row being placed relatively close together, and the tubes of the inner row being difierently spaced apart and offset relative to the tubes of the first group to permit heat to pass therebetween to the outer row, and means causing steam to flow through first one row and then the other.

3. In a radiant heat superheater, two rows of tubes, one disposed inwardly from the other, the tubes of the outer row being placed relatively close together, the tubes of the inner row being spaced apart to permit heat to pass therebetween to the outer row, the tubes in the outer row being substantially rectangular and those in the inner row being substantially cylindrical, and means causing steam to flow throuIgh first one row and then the other.

4. n a radiant heat superheater, two rows of tubes, one disposed inwardly from the other, the tubes of the outer row being placed relatively close together, the tubes of the inner row being spaced apart to permit heat to pass therebetween to the outer row, those in the outer row having metallic faces on the inner sides thereof, and those in the inner row being at least partially formed of relatively refractory material, and means causing steam to flow through first one row and then the other.

5. In a radiant heat superheater, two rows of tubes, one disposed inwardly from the other, means protecting the tubes of the inner heat and delineating a gas confining furnace wall spaced from the first row of tubes, and means connecting the rows of tubes to cause steam to flow from the first tubes into the sec ond in a series flow.

8. In a steam boiler installation, a combustion chamber, a bank of steam generating tubes above the combustion chamber, a superheater outlet header outside the combustion chamber, an intermediate superheater header outside the combustion chamber, a bank of bowed superheater tubes exposed to radiant heat from the combustion chamber and extending through a wall of the chamber, connections between the inlet ends of said tubes and the intermediate header, connections between the. discharge ends of the tubes and the outlet header, a superheater inlet header outside the combustion chamber, and a row of bowed superheater tubes extending from the inlet header through the same chamber wall to the intermediate header and disposed inwardly of the combustion chamber with reference to the first row of tubes, the first and second rows of tubes being of approximately the same length in the chamber.

HOWARD J. KERR.

row from the heat a) which they are exposed,

support for the tubes of the outer row, an expansible connection between said support and tubes, and means causing steam to flow through first one row and then the other.

6. In a radiant heat superheater, two rows of tubes, one disposed inwardly from the other, means protecting the tubes of the inner row from the heat to which they are exposed, support for the tubes of the outer row and an expansible connection between said support and tubes rmitting expansion of the tubes both longitudinally and transversely.

7. In a radiant superheater comprising, a

combustion chamber, a row of spaced tubes extending through a portion of the chamber and constituting the first steam pass of a multiple steam pass superheater, a second row of tubes subject to less intense radiant 

